This was Sadie’s idea of fetching the newspaper for me. I pointed to the local newspaper on the floor and told her to bring it to me, but I guess Sadie thought it was a better idea to lie down on the paper. She even got her squeaky ball and squeaked for a while on top of the newspaper! Hopefully there’s no important news this weekend, because it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting my paper back anytime soon.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

When I was daydreaming about getting my first puppy, I made a list of all the things I wanted to teach her. Towards the top of the list was putting her toys away into their box. Well two years later we still haven’t figured that one out. But I’ve been trying to teach her since the first week Sadie’s lived with me. These photos come from the day I introduced Sadie to her first toy box. I couldn’t convince her to put toys in the box, but she was happy to put herself into it. She also thought it made a pretty tasty chew toy.

Does your dog pay attention to you and follow your commands? Most dog owners have trouble keeping their dogs focused and cooperative both in and out of training sessions. One way to deal with this problem is to analyze your tone. If you constantly get frustrated and yell at your dog, he or she will probably learn to ignore the yelling as normal behavior and continue doing whatever he or she feels like doing. But if you act happy and excited about a command, your dog may enjoy that and try to perform the command to keep you happy and excited. It all depends on your particular dog and his or her relationship with you as the owner.

For example, many people try to assume the stern, alpha personality to show the dog that you are the boss and your commands must be followed. But if you are not that type of person at all, your dog may see right through that act. I personally have trouble acting that way, and therefore that is not the right tone for Sadie and I. Sadie actually prefers the babying approach, and is more likely to listen to me if I pitch my voice higher and ask if my “good girl” will do whatever I want her to do at that moment.

You need to experiment with your dog and see what kind of tone works best for your relationship. Other members of your household may need a different tone with the dog, simply because each and every bond between a dog and a human is unique. Try to be yourself and use your natural personality as much as possible. Most dogs can tell if you feel unsure or insecure about how to behave with them, which greatly impacts your ability to gain their trust and respect, and therefore their obedience.

This post is part of the Training Tips Tuesday blog hop hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany’s Diamond Dogs.

When Sadie wants a treat or a bite of something I’m eating and I won’t hand it over immediately, Sadie goes into her ready position. She knows that I want her to earn the treat, so she sits down and looks up at me, awaiting orders. I love to stay quiet for a minute or two to see Sadie’s adorable reaction. Since she doesn’t know what command I’m planning to give, Sadie just launches into a quick summary version of every command she can think of.  She stands up, lies down, rolls around, speaks, gives me her paws, spins in circles, etc.; all in fifteen seconds flat. I like to think of it as my ‘no command’ command.

This post is part of Nola and Sugar‘s Black and White Sunday blog hop.

Today I’ve decided to join the new Training Tips Tuesday blog hop. As it’s my first time joining this blog hop, I decided to share some basic dog training principles that I always like to consider when working with Sadie.

T – Treats

R – Repetition

A – Applause

 I – Instincts

N – Nurture

Treats are the primary tool most use in their dog training. The easiest, quickest way to get a dog, or person for that matter, to do what you want is to bribe them. Hold out a good enough treat and your dog will likely bend over backwards trying to figure out what needs to be done to get that treat.

Repetition is fundamental when training your dog. In order to cement a word with a corresponding action in your dog’s mind, you need to repeat the command followed by action process many, many times. The more your dog performs a command or trick, the easier it will be to remember next time. And make sure to review and repeat old tricks and commands so that they aren’t forgotten when new ones are learned.

Applause is my way of saying that positive reinforcement works wonders in dog training. Many dogs, my own included, will do just about anything if it makes you smile and clap and say ‘good girl/boy’. Excitement is contagious, so if you get excited about your dog performing a certain action, your dog will also get excited about that action. Once your dog understands a command well enough, this type of positive reinforcement can replace treats as the reward for correctly following the command.

Instincts can be very useful when training your dog. Watching your dog’s natural behavior can give you many clues and opportunities to aid in training. For example, most dogs instinctively open their mouths if you hold a treat just above them. You can use this instinctive reaction as the foundation for teaching your dog to open his/her mouth on command or to catch an object or to take an object.

Nurturing your dog is also very important. A frustrated, unhappy dog is not likely to learn very well, and a frustrated, unhappy human is not likely to make a good teacher. Know your dog’s and your own limits and don’t worry if your dog doesn’t seem to get the gist of the command right away. Be supportive and understanding. Have a few short training sessions throughout the day, instead of trying to force your dog to pay attention for hours on end. If your dog is having trouble with a new command, take a break and end the training session with an old standard. That way you end on a high note and your dog feels proud that he or she did something right.

This post is part of the Training Tips Tuesday blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany’s Diamond Dogs.